Research has shown that children born in the late 50s were more likely to climb the social ladder than those born in 1970.

But Mr Gove said: “People tend to look back at the education changes that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, and they tend to see the disappearance of universal selection at 11 as the main factor.

“In fact, there were other changes that were occurring in education. A move away from traditional subjects rigorously taught, in many cases.

“A different style - what was called 'progressive' education, but which in fact was very, very far from progressive. It would be wrong to look back at the 60s and 70s and say that the move away from grammar schools was the sole cause of adverse changes.”

In recent months, it has emerged that the first new grammar school in 50 years could be built in Kent, one of the few counties to retain a fully selective education system. Under plans, the school is to be established in Sevenoaks as a satellite “annex” of another grammar more than 10 miles away.

But Mr Gove insisted that academic selection was not a “magic bullet”.

“If you look across the world at those countries that have successful education systems, yes, some of them are selective, like Singapore,” he said. “Others, Finland, South Korea, Japan, aren't. So it's not the case that you need to have selection in order to have a successful education system which advances social mobility."

Graham Brady, the Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West, and chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said that limiting academic selection to a small part of England was “perverse”.

"There are many, many Conservative MPs - and others - who would like to see genuine freedom, and that that should include the ability to select either wholly or in part,” he said.